How Did Namrata Engtipi Vanish? The Mysterious Case of a Young Karbi Girl

In the interiors of the Karbi Hills, the villagers of Dhentaghat lead a rather peaceful life. From there, a young girl named Namrata Engtipi went missing for about a month, until her family discovered that she had been murdered. Adding to their grief, the family couldn’t even recover her body, as it had been mistakenly claimed by the family of another missing girl from Raha, Nagaon. The girl from Raha, named Pinki Das, was later rescued alive by police from Guwahati. Namrata’s family learned of her death only two days ago—and even more shockingly, they found out that her body had already been cremated by another family in error.

One Month of Uncertainty Since June 15

To get a detailed account of the incident, Pratidin Time approached the bereaved family of Namrata Engtipi. Her sister, Pirbi Engtipi, told us that on June 15, Namrata went shopping with her friends, saying she would return home in the evening. When she didn’t return, Namrata’s mother called her frantically, but received no response.

“The next day, on June 16 as well, Namrata didn’t respond to our calls,” said Pirbi Engtipi, further adding, “After a brief inquiry, we came to know that she had gone to Diphu with her friends. This wasn’t unusual, as we have relatives there.” Notably, Diphu is over 80 kilometers from Dhentaghat.

Namrata’s behavior puzzled her family—why wasn’t she speaking to any of them after going out so happily from home? Their concern deepened when her mother saw a WhatsApp status posted by Namrata on June 16, showing her with a man at a KFC outlet.

“We were really worried after seeing that. After extensive inquiries, we traced the guy Namrata was seen with in her WhatsApp status. He lives in Bangalore, and when we contacted him, he revealed something even more shocking,” Pirbi said.

“The guy told us that Namrata was with him on June 15 and stayed at his sister’s place for the night. The next day, he dropped her off on a bus back home. But when he called her a little later, Namrata told him that she wouldn’t go home but was heading to Kheroni instead. This confused us further, as we have no relatives in Kheroni and she had no reason to go there,” she added.

Pirbi further told us that the family kept searching for Namrata until July 16, when they finally filed a missing person report at the Samelangso police station. “We were trying to find out whether Namrata had eloped with someone. We were so puzzled and emotionally shaken that we couldn’t even share this with many,” she said.

After the missing report was filed, the officer-in-charge of the Samelangso police station visited their home to gather details. Just two days later, police asked the family to identify some belongings recovered at the Nagaon SP office.

“Upon receiving this information, our family members went to the SP office in Nagaon and identified Namrata’s belongings—like a coin ring on her finger, a Hanuman tabeez, and a dhaga (thread) on her foot. We found her belongings, but not her body,” Pirbi told us.

Pinki Das & Namrata Engtipi

Around the same time, another missing case had been registered with Nagaon police—this time of a girl named Pinki Das from Raha, who had gone missing on June 11. After a teenage girl’s body was recovered—on or around June 16—police informed Pinki’s family, who identified it as hers. They took the body and performed the last rites.

However, days later, police rescued Pinki Das alive from Guwahati. Her case turned out to be completely different. What had been protested by locals and organizations like AJYCP as a case of “love jihad” and murder was, in reality, something else entirely.

What the Police Said

Pratidin Time spoke to Supratip Baruah, the SP in charge of Nagaon. Mr. Baruah stated that the body recovered by police, which Pinki Das’s family claimed, could actually be Namrata Engtipi’s.

“We have conducted DNA testing, and the results will reveal the truth—whose body Pinki’s family actually took,” Mr. Baruah said, adding that one Saddam Hussain has been arrested in connection with Namrata’s case.

“It is a murder case, and the police suspect that it involved sexual abuse,” he added.

Namrata’s Family and Others Demand Justice

“Actually, Namrata’s body was recovered by Nagaon police on June 16, and her last mobile location was traced near the Nagaon bypass. But we only found out much later,” Pirbi Engtipi said. “What we are really struggling to understand is—how could Pinki’s family mistakenly identify someone else’s body as their daughter’s? We need justice. We still don’t know what actually happened to Namrata—and we didn’t even get her body.”

Babu Rongpi, president of the APHLC (All Party Hill Leaders Conference) for the Korkanthi constituency, said: “We want the real culprit to be identified and punished. What happened to an innocent girl remains in the dark. The police must carry out a fair investigation and ensure justice is served.”

Also Read: Karbi Anglong Teen Was Real Victim in Nagaon Murder Case, Say Police